If the FCC obeys its demands
Google's riches are exceeded only by its cheek. When the Federal Communications Commission auctions off the coveted 700-MHz wireless spectrum, the search giant has said it will lay down a bid of $4.6bn - provided the auction is handled exactly the way Google wants it handled.
Recently vacated by television channels making the switch to digital transmission, the 700-MHz band goes up for auction sometime early next year, and Google has been calling for the FCC to require "open-access" to the spectrum, arguing that consumers and businesses should have the freedom to use wireless networks however they choose - without answering to big-name carriers like AT&T and Verizon. It's been rumored that Google would bid for the band if the FCC opts for open-access, but this is the first time the Mountain View outfit has publicly admitted as much.
"For several years now, many Googlers have been working to identify the obstacles that prevent the Internet from being available to everyone on the planet," wrote Chris Sacca, Google's head of special initiatives, on the company's official blog. "Today, we're putting consumers' interests first, and putting our money where our principles are - to the tune of $4.6 billion."
The catch is that the company won't bid unless the FCC adopts all the open-access requirements it recommended with an electronic filing early last week. Anyone who wins a 700-MHz license, Google says, should be required to provide open access to consumers as well as third-party companies: Consumers should have the freedom to attach any mobile device to the network and use any application (provided they don't harm the network); resellers should be able to acquire wireless bandwidth from 700-MHz licensees on a wholesale basis, so that they too can offer service to consumers; and ISPs should have the power to plug into the network at any "feasible" point.
When contacted, the FCC declined to comment, but it doesn't seem that the draft rules recently laid down by chairman Kevin Martin
Martin's draft rules have yet to be approved by the other FCC commissioners, and current wireless carriers like Verizon have vehemently opposed open-access, hoping to retain the current set-up. You know, the one where they have complete control over the network.
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